Poll: Ohio Gov. Kasich Trails In Hypothetical Re-Election Matchup

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) has seen his approval rating dip over the last several months and now finds himself facing a potentially difficult re-election bid next year, according to a survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling released Tuesday.

The poll found Kasich's numbers under water: 42 percent said they approve of the job he is doing as governor compared with 47 percent who said they disapprove. It marks a drop since PPP's previous survey of the Buckeye State in November of last year, when 45 percent said they approved of Kasich and 40 percent said they disapproved.

Three polls from Quinnipiac University this year have all shown Kasich with an approval rating above 50 percent. His 54 percent approval rating in Quinnipiac's June survey represented a high-water mark for the Republican in the university's polling.

PPP's latest, first reported by Politico, found little-known Democrat Ed FitzGerald with a narrow 3-point edge over Kasich in a hypothetical matchup of next year's gubernatorial race, 38 percent to 35 percent. Sixty-two percent of Ohio voters said they were unsure whether they view FitzGerald favorably or unfavorably.